1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image processing method and a storage medium in an image processing system in which an external apparatus and an information processing apparatus perform a communication to carry out image processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-9713 discloses a case where when a recording medium is inserted from a sheet feed unit to be set at a predetermined position, a recording start position is slightly shifted as the recording medium is inserted while being slightly inclined in an image forming apparatus.
Also, regarding the accuracy in the insertion positions for the recording medium in the image forming apparatus, deviations may occur to some extent. Due to this deviation, it is pointed out that the feeding positions for the leading part may be shifted, and an inclination can occur.
Image forming apparatuses provided with a tray adjustment function are proposed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-337433). In this case, the image forming apparatuses include an image processing system adapted to receive image data from an external apparatus after the tray adjustment is performed and output the image to an image processing apparatus and an image processing system adapted to receive image data from an external apparatus and execute a tray adjustment in an image processing apparatus.
Also, an image processing system is proposed which is adapted to output image data opened up into a raster image from an external apparatus to an image forming apparatus.
In some of such image processing systems, when the external apparatus opens up the image data into the raster image, by taking into account the positional shift due to the sheet feeding unit, the positional shift may be adjusted by adjusting the opening position of the raster image.
However, in the image forming apparatus, print processing may be carried out by, in some cases, automatically switching to a sheet feeding unit that is different from the sheet feeding unit specified by a print job among a plurality of sheet feeding units.
For example, in a case where a sheet post-processing apparatus is connected to the image forming apparatus to perform staple processing, the sheet orientation specified by the print job and the opening area of the raster image may be varied. In this case, control in collaboration with the tray adjustment function is not executed while automatically corresponding to the switch of the sheet feeding units.
For this reason, it can occur that the print job cannot be efficiently processed by effectively utilizing the tray adjustment function.
In particular, in a case where the external apparatus performs the tray adjustment, it can occur that the automatic sheet feeding stage change on the image forming apparatus side cannot be coped with, the rotation/bookbinding processing cannot be coped with, and raggedness or unevenness is generated when skew correction is carried out, for example.
Also, in a case where the tray adjustment is performed on the image forming apparatus side, it can occur that a half tone simulation job cannot be coped with.
It is noted that the factor for changing the sheet feeding units is not limited to the above-described sheet post-processing. For example, even when the sheet sizes are identical to each other, it may be necessary to similarly change the sheet feeding units also in a case where the sheet orientations and the opening area of the raster image are varied.
Therefore, in a case where the image rotation is generated in relation to finishing such as stapling, effects which are expected to be obtained with the tray adjustment function (image position shift adjustment function) cannot be obtained.